Greater Latrobe School Board this week authorized formation of an intramural trap-shooting team.
The proposed team, for students interested in shooting at clay targets, eventually could compete with others already established at Norwin and Connellsville, but possibly not in its first year, said Greater Latrobe Athletic Director Mark Mears.
“We would like to get this up and running and work on it correctly so … the kids are ready to compete,” he said.
How the trap program develops will be determined, in large part, by the level of interest among Greater Latrobe students, Mears said.
“We’re excited to bring this program,” he said. “We have a lot of outdoorsmen, a lot of young sportsmen in our district. It teaches them things in life in the outdoors that they can actively do the rest of their lives.
“It’s a chance to take what they learn in sixth-grade camp, where they learn gun safety and bow-and-arrow safety, and take that into seventh to 12th grade in the school district and still be involved in something as outdoorsmen and young sportsmen in Westmoreland County.”
The team’s intramural status means funding will be the responsibility of participating students and their parents, Mears explained, but he noted private grants may be available.
The Greensburg Sportsmen’s Association club is offering use of its trap-shooting facility at no cost to the district, Mears said.
School director Merle Musick, who advocated for the trap program, thanked fellow board members for supporting it.
Eric Pavlik of Unity said his daughters, Autumn, 15, and Summer, 11, will “definitely” be interested in joining the program. The sisters already enjoy trap shooting and competing in shooting sports through the 4-H program. Their shooting skills earned them multiple ribbons at this summer’s Westmoreland County Fair.
“I’m happy to see that school districts are starting to involve shooting sports in their extracurricular activities,” Pavlik said.
